The use of computer has become more and more pervasive in modern society. Integrating computer technologies with the phone is one of the remarkable advances in recent years. In addition to the functions provided by traditional phones, a so called “smart phone” (“hereafter may also be referred to as “phone”) device is not only equipped with entertainment applications, but also location-aware applications such as a navigation system.
A few problems may arise with the recent increase in popularity of smart phones. One of the problems is the prioritization of the phone functionality over the navigation functionality. For example, if the user receives a phone call while preparing to execute a maneuver, the voice guidance which the user depends on to execute the maneuver may be interrupted as the smart phone's audio output has been switched to the phone ringer. This situation may bring significant stress to the user and cause driver distraction when the incoming call and the voice guidance occur at the same time. Such disruptive situations can be worse for businessmen and executives who have frequent incoming or outgoing calls while driving.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,925,425 to Remboski et al. discloses a system adapted to assess information incoming to a vehicle operator, to prioritize the information based upon a number of conditions relating to the vehicle operation, the operating environment, the activity of the operator and the physical condition of the operator, and to provide to the operator the most pertinent information for the given set of conditions, as illustrated in FIG. 1. More particularly, the system provides a mechanism for informing the caller that they are calling a driver and provides the option to divert the call to voice mail. However, Remboski does not discuss about the prioritization between the phone and navigation application. Also, Remboski does not disclose anything related to delivering the voice route guidance to the audio system or the display screen in the vehicle when the incoming call occurs.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,292,152 to Torkkola et al, discloses a method and apparatus for classifying a driver's activity state based on sensor data relating to at least one vehicle operating condition to determine driver activity, as shown in FIG. 2. More specifically, a classifier can be communicatively coupled with a cellular phone, and when the classifier determines that the driver's cognitive load is beyond a threshold level, e.g. during a time classified as “maneuver,” an incoming cell phone call may be diverted to a voice mail. However, Torkkola neither discusses about the prioritization between the phone and navigation application, nor discloses anything related to delivering the route guidance to the audio system or the display screen in the vehicle when the incoming call occurs.
U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2006/0286930 discloses a method and a system for communication device management within a vehicle. The communication device includes a cellular telephone, personal computer, PDA, pocket computer, and hybrid device. More particularly, the system includes an intelligent controller which is adapted to detect any present communication devices in the area and conduct an inventory which provides information about each detected device. Furthermore, the intelligent controller compares the information to a standard of use data, which specifies the conditions need to be present for allowing the usage of a communication device. If such conditions are not met, the intelligent controller sends commands to the communication device to restrict its functionality. Similar to Remboski and Torkkola, the system does not prioritize between the phone and navigation application, nor discloses anything related to delivering the route guidance to the audio system or the display screen in the vehicle when the incoming call occurs.
Therefore, there remains a need for a new and improved apparatus and method to provide the user uninterrupted route guidance on the smart phone even when an incoming call occurs. More specifically, the route guidance may be diverted either to an audio system or to a display screen in a vehicle, such that the driver does not have to worry about the incoming phone call which may interrupt the route guidance.